What does it mean that you rely on the principle "Form follows emotion" to design?

Paradisiartificiali: "For us, designing a space means trying to make it live for our clients, first of all on a symbolic and emotional level. To achieve this, it is necessary to do a work of introspection together with them, aimed at bringing out the deep and identifying elements that we could call the "psychological form" of the house.

Certainly the role of the architect is to provide answers to concrete needs, but as G. Bachelard said "the inhabited space always transcends the geometric space" and this is because the domestic space is nothing more than an extension of our interiority.

Once you understand the importance of the emotional component, the way you design changes because you understand that it is the clients who bring the solutions, and you only have the task of help them bring them out."

How, in this case, did you apply it?

Paradisiartificiali: "In this case, the project was intended for a mature woman, with a background and experience that represented an interesting source of inspiration.

We met a person with a strong charisma, a great reader, passionate among other things about the history of religions and spiritual traditions.

With her we understood how much moving house, for a person of a certain age, is an act of courage and renewal; she made us feel the desire to give a metaphorical interpretation to what was happening to her: a new beginning".

Where and why do we find the 'moon' within this project?

Paradisiartificiali: "After many years of separation from her daughter, our client found herself having to consider the decision to move to a home next to hers. We therefore identified the central element of the project: the strong bond between two female figures, a mother and her daughter.

The moon represents the maternal female archetype par excellence; it is a receptive star, in fact it reflects the light of the sun and therefore acts like a mirror: the mother is reflected in the daughter and vice versa, in a magnetic attractive process, where the return is an ancestral call.

This concept of female duality recurs in the project through elements that interpret the theme of specularity, see for example the two vestals who hold up the bookcase in the living room, or more specifically in the bathroom, where the message of the project is revealed: the moon, which by its nature is connected to water and the tides, is a source of life and in its parental capacity plays the role of a cosmic mother.

During the project, in search of references for our concept, we visited the Mondazzi plaster cast gallery with the client, in the hope that she could find a work capable of inspiring her.

We were not surprised when she pointed out with emotion "The birth of Aphrodite". What did this move to a new home represent for her? Her answer was: a rebirth and at the same time a return.

The circle had closed: the bather is the daughter of the moon, but at the same time a mother who rediscovers her maternal role in the dialogue with the moon".

Was this how the reference to the dream world came about? And the constant presence of the garden?

Paradisiartificiali: "The reference to the dream world was born because, given the deeply introspective nature of the client, in our imagination this place necessarily had to take shape at night, when under the influence of the moon reason gives way to the unconscious and the world of dreams.

The garden instead represents the tangible dimension in which nature is inhabited by Man: the place where one can closely observe the process of transformation that occurs with the cycle of the seasons.

We thought that even the return of the mother to her daughter could represent a rebirth, a new cycle of life ideally represented by the image of the garden".

Along with her mother, did objects and elements arrive to be integrated into the project?

Paradisiartificiali: "When the daughter told us about her mother's move project, she curiously told us that she would not be taking anything with her, except her rich library and that, in thinking about the spaces for her, we would have to "give a home to her books".

A 'nomad' in constant search of herself, not afraid of change. She has only one suitcase, the one containing the many volumes that have shaped her personality.

Books have accompanied her throughout her life and that is why the house, especially the living room, has large shelves and bookcases suitable for housing her vast personal collection".

What are the aspects related to lifestyle and age that have most influenced the project?

Paradisiartificiali: "Always referring to this strong interest, structurally the client expressly requested a reading room, in which to dedicate herself to her great passion, rather than a classic living room with a sofa and TV.

Supported by two terracotta columns, the bookcase is the true protagonist of the room, which becomes a true temple of knowledge".

Your works are often the result of participatory planning: what does this mean when the context is residential and private?

Paradisiartificiali: "Participatory planning is central to our vision. For some time we have been experimenting with operational practices aimed at interpreting our projects a bit like workshops, that is, happy opportunities in which to create new connections with external resources intercepted online and called to work together, enhancing the principles of sharing and exchanging their knowledge".